Some commercially available dispensers for perfumes, aftershave and similar products are covered with protective and/or decorative cases. Such parts typically include a protective/decorative cover on a bottom portion of the bottle, a fixed cover that cannot be changed, and a protective/decorative detachable covering cap, that may match the cover in style, and allows easy dispensation of the liquid—see for example http://www.amazon.com/Travalo-Travel-Refillable-Refills-Fragrance/dp/B002FQKKBQ.
In contrast to the cap on the top portion of the dispenser, the cover of the bottom portion does not need to be removed every time the dispenser is used. Nevertheless, there could be times at which it may be useful to remove the cover, for example to replace a worn-out or broken cap and/or cover with a matching case of a new cap and cover. In a further example, in refillable dispensers it may be useful to have the possibility to remove or substitute the cover since the refilling mechanism is not easily accessible when covered. A problem with such putative structures would be that the more frequent attempts to remove the cap for dispensing might instead remove the cover, which would be annoying and time consuming and not allow to properly use the dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,694 (“Perfume applicator with replaceable cartridges”) describes a perfume dispenser with threaded covers which are screwed onto threads positioned at the dispenser. Such type of covers requires correct alignment of threads on the cover and on the dispenser in order to allow the screwing of the cover onto the dispenser which may take some time.
There is an unmet need for dispensers with both a changeable cover and a changeable cap that can be easily used according to the desire of the user that can allow for example to differentiate between products.
It should be noted that reference to the use of perfume as an example below doesn't limit the invention, and the current invention can be applied to any refillable liquid.